Approaching the final straight, memorably described as “the silly season” by a former colleague, it seems apt to reflect on the past three months, even though there are few obvious reference points.
I’ve learnt a lot, not least how much I miss the collegiality of KES, the soft hum of a busy school, and, I hope, I’ll emerge more aware of the genuine pleasure of teaching a roomful of responsive and engaged pupils. This is something I suspect I’ve come to take for granted; however, it’s something to be treasured.
Similarly, I’m perhaps more attuned to the difficulties that we all have, from time to time, with meeting deadlines; the vast majority of boys appear to have coped, but the odd boy hasn’t, and I think I’ve become more aware of the various challenges that they face. I just hope I’m always able to communicate this.
The Covid-19 pandemic has made Donald Rumsfeld’s concept of “unknown unknowns” seem more apposite than perhaps it first appeared, but I’m hopeful that September will bring some normality, and that we can all return to doing what we all really enjoy doing, both pupils and staff.
